Engine starter



M. P. WHITNEY ENGINE 'STARTER Filed July 15,' 1927 oct. zo,v 1931.

2 Sheets-Sheet ll @Mlm Oct. 20, 1931. M. P. wHnjNl-:Y

ENGINE STARTER Filed July 15. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 20, 1.931"

i MAURICE P; WHITNEY,l or ELMIRA, NEW YoRK,AssIGNoR froEoLIPsE MACH'I'NE corvi-L l; PANY, oFELi/rIRaNEwYoRx, A conroaATIoN or NEW YORK f l 1'Eixfrfxnul S'MURT'Las.rk

y Y y v lbiAppllicatqnli-led 111157115, invention-v relates to' enginestarting apparatus yfor-the starting of internal comfv bustion engines morey particularly but not necessarily automobile engines, rand the ob' ject thereof'is to provide 'a simple', efficient and reliable drive. or transmission between the prime mover, suchas 4a'nfelectricl motor and 'a memberv of the vengine to be started7 such asthe vflywheel'thereof. Thisy'drive is i6 ofthe manual shiftl type, but capable of autol matic;disengagementiof-the driving member fromthe engine member when the engine starts on its'own power; and the same is 4characterized'lby the provision of an abutment f5 in theV path `of the backward movementof lthe driving memberlor pinion, whichvis mounted uponia screw shaft or sleeve with long lead e threads wherebyafter this`- disengagement of' Y thelpinion from theenginemember with the screw sleeve in still advanced position, suchl pinion will be brought 'tefitsnormalposition on such sleeve when the `eperator relieves his' pressure upon the 'manually operated shifting;connections.;Vv

a3 gs;y YFigure 1 is sectional Inthe drawln Y elevation of a starting'apparatus embodyingl my invention and illustrating the partsrin their'normal position; f; f f v I n Fig'.k 2, a similargviewzbut showing the parts in operated' orf,cranking@position;y and 't Fig. 3 aY section-on theline B-Bbf Fig. 2.

The embodiment of my inventionas herein shown is :selectedfonlthe purpose of a clear andv definite description fof .my invention "35` which Vmay* rpartake. of different constructions andforms. *"f f g As' herein shown;L the i prime 'v movery is an electric motor `1' and as in the present instance," the* drive is .of thejdirect type, .the rotat-v 40 able drivingV shaft f2fis the extendedjarmaf-yl tureshaft ofthe motor; The* drive proper is mounted uponfanddriven by this shaft, the samebeing bodily sliiftable by manual means-to'brin'g the=d`riving member into-ernst gagement with the enginey memberv and being `restored to normal 'position Yas to the enf tire; `assembly by such manuallmeansand also automatically yasv to the Vdriving"member or 'pihion whenthe'enginefstarts Ton` its own;

powery and "in caseL the joperator should. not

1927. *serial No; 205,900. l l

release thepressure upon ythe manualmeans. lAs herein shown, the drive comprises a hollo'wsha'ft orA sleeve 3 which vis;mounted upon they shaft 2 for; longitudinal movement thereof and rotary movement therewithl for which purpose this sleeve is splined tothe shaft by means of the splines 4;. This sleeve is vprovided with'long :lead yscrewy threads 5' toward its'outer end7 and at thislendfthere e.

is provided a stop means such as a stop nut 6';

of a pinion 7 threaded upon'the screw sleeve The driving member 1s here inthe form" and provided with a weighted diskS atvone end thereof. The inner end of "they sleeveV is provided with parallel iianges 9 to cooperate with the manual shifting means hereinafter described. Thel shaft'2-isssupprt'edat'its outer end ina bearing lOformed in abracket,y Qrsupportll. i

A countershaft 12 parallelwith the V'driving shaft 2 is mountedatione end ina support'18 inthe bracket 11and at "its'other end ina support 14 in the electric `motorframe.- This countersha'ft ,supportsv anf'y abutment which is extraneous of the'drive Iproperaiid cooperates lwith the pinion 7 and which'is in the: form of a yoke 1.5 having asleevel adjustably mounted upon the countershaft 12 intermediate its length andhaving at its lower l Y. end yarms 17 Vwhich vstraddle lthe screw 'sleeve' and have a spread greater than the diameter of the disk'portionvof the pinion. v* ThesearmsV 17 are providedat theirlofwerendsfwith roll-g ers'l 18 projecting inwardl jfromthey innery -faceso'f these arms 17 Van into the path of movement ofthedisl 8 of` such pinion. ,Referring tothe'manually-'operated means, thesameconsists ofa shifter arm 19 cooper;

ating with the flanges 9, with somelostmotion therewithyand having at its upperend a sleeve 20 which isk mounted to slide upon' 'v the lcountershaft and tofbe advanced to the' I Y left (Fig. 1) y"against Ithe tension-of :a coil spring 21 interposed betweenv the stationary" -V sleeve l'and the vmovable;f's-leeVe-ff20, Suiti able operating connections or linkage are priovided for'operation by the operator or driver for `actuating vthe drivey and also actuatingthe switchifor ycontrolling the current to thez motor. In thepresent instance, such operat-y aflink 24 pivotally connected to the inner or lower end of the plunger 22 and the sleeve 20.

This plunger 22 carries in an arm or bracket i 24` an -`adjustable `Contact screw f26 ,in Whose 7 path of movement is arranged a button 27 of an electric switch 28 which is electrically connected'with the electric motor by connections (not shown); Y l v A.

Describing a cycle of operation of the apparatus and beginning with the parts vin theirl normal position shown ,in Fig. l, when it is'AV desired to crank and start the'engine, the op-` erator depresses the plunger 22 whereupon the movable sleeve 20 after a slight movement to theleft willlshift the screw sleeve 3 tothe left together with the pinion 7 which movement isagainst the tension of the spring 21. The parts now assume the position shown in Fig. 2 at which time the switch button 27 has already been actuated, the particular time thereof being capable of regulation by'means A of the screw 26, so thatthe particulartime y ofclosing theswitch with relation to the position of the pinion in itseng'agement with the engine Vmember may be predetermined.

The parts are now in cranking position, and when thexengine starts on its own power, the pinion will be practically instantly screwed backward lyi` upon the screw sleeve and out ofV mesh with the vteeth 29V of the flywheelv 30 'event faster than the operator can act in releasing his pressure on the pedal or plunger 22. At the time, the pinion is l against the abruptly formed end-or heel 3lV ofthe screw threads of the sleeve,lbut does not contact the rollers-18 of the yoke. In this i position, the engine flywheel isrotating without any connection with the starting ,motor and suchrmotor isstill rotating due to the closure ofthe. switch, but under norload; As soon as the operator releases the pressuregon the shifting mechanism, the electrical contact is broken which cuts off. current from the starting motor and thenl thejscrew `sleeve lis drawnback to normal disen aged position byimeans of the spring 2l as a ove described. As the sleeve is thus forced back towards its disengagedvposition, it is drawn through the pinion which by virtue lof vthe long lead i threads of the sleeverotates against the rollers until the parts*l assume the norma-l position shown in Fig.` l ready for the next start.

22,l the pinion 7 will nevertheless. demesh,

-doing so Vautomatically as above e-:irplainedV whereuponthe pinionlwill `take the position i shown in dotted linesk inFigt 2.

to be started, anabutment arranged'in the path ofthe backward longitudinal movement of, the Vdriving member andmade in the form of Y a` yoke extending orreitherv sideV ofl the driving member and having projections engaged bysaid driving member, andmanually operable means for yshifting the'fsleeve longitudinally. f i z Y r 2. An engine starter drive including a rotatable driving shaft, a sleeve shiftable longitudinally thereon and rotated thereby, a driving member mountejdon the sleeve for longitudinal movement `thereon'and rotary movement therewith :adaptedwhen advanced longitudinally to engage a; member ofthe engine to be started, an abutment `arranged inthe path of the backward ,longitudinal movement ofthe driving mendberV and made lin theform ofga :yoke extendingA on either side ofthe driving member, rollers inthe arms of said yoke-adapted to be "contactedy the driving member, and to lact back' stop therefor,

andmanually operable'means for shifting the f s leevelongitudinally.

A 3. An engine sta-rter drive"including.al rotatable driving shafta sleeve shiftablelon i-l tudinally thereon and rotated thereby, a driving member mounted ongthesleeve for longi-4 l y driving member mountedQon the sleeve for In the'event that the operator. should'fail or delay to release lhis pressure ou the plunger longitudinal movement thereon and. rotary movement therewith adapted when. advanced longitudinally to'engage a member ofthe engine to bestartedjan:` abutmentarranged inv` the'path of the backward longitudinal movement ofthe driving member, a'countershaft: i *i `by. which such* abutment is supportedia manually operable shifting `sleeve mounted to slide upon the countershaft and operably "cnn-l nected withA the first named sluwe,` anlmav spring disposed betweenthe shifting sleeve i and the abutment.

f 5. An engine starter drive including va ro- *y tatable driving shaft, a sleeve shiftable longi-f tudinally thereon and rotated thereby and having long lead Vscrew `threads, va vdriving member threaded on said threads, an abutment, rollers carried by such Yabutment and larranged'in the path of backward longitudi- CTI sleeve isvstill 1n itsshifted position.

6. An engine starter drive includingl a' rotatable driving shaft, a sleeve splined t ereon and having at one end a stop means and adjacent long lead threads, a pinion threaded on said threads and having a disk at one end, an abutment in the form of a yoke straddling the sleeve and pinion,a pair of rollers mounted in the arms of such yoke and arranged in the path of backward longitudinal movement of said disk, and manually operable means Y for shifting the sleeve longitudinally.

7 An engine starter drive including a rotatable driving shaft, ay sleeve shiftable longitudinally thereon and rotated thereby and' having screw threads thereon, a driving member threaded on said threads, aslidable shifting device for said sleeve, a member on which it slides, and an abutment mounted on said member andV arranged in the path of backward longitudinal movement of the driving member.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name. n v

MAURICE P. y WHITNEY. 

